Surgical truss



A. M. SCARFF. SURGICAL THUSS.

APPLICATION man Nov.14. 1916.

Patented 001;. 1.1, 1921.

PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED `1v1:A'l'llllelEW SCARFF, OF CROYDON, ENGLAND.`

SURGICAL TRUSS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 11, 1921.

Application filed November 14, 1916. Serial No. 191,250.

(GRANTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS 0F THEACT 0F MARCH v3, 1921, 41 STAT. L., 1313.)

To all whom t may concern.'v

Be it known that ALFRED MATTHEW SCARPE, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at llCastlemaine avenue, Croydon, .England,=has invented Improvements in or Relating to Surgical Trusses, (for which I have filed application in England, Nov. 5, 1915, Patent No. 15,661 of 1915,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to surgical` trusses and has for one of its objects the provision of means whereby the yielding spring pressure of a truss-pad may be readily variable in strength, and also whereby such pressure may be applied so as to cause the pad to roll in a direction variable at willto the end that the said pad maypress upon the hernia or the like in a combined inward and upward direction, or otherwise as may be required.

Another object of this invention is the provision of means whereby a springband when used in conjunction with a truss-pad according to my invention is prevented from transmitting local movementsv in or upon the body of the wearer to the truss-pad whichv is thus allowed to retain its proper position relatively to the part of the body to which it is applied.

A further object of this invention is the provision in a spring band for trusses according to this invention of means to avoid pressure on the spine of the wearer.

According to this my invention the trusspad comprises, in addition to the usual cushion or the like for contact with the body and in the front of the said cushion or the like, a base plate and a lever plate, the latter pivoted to the former in such a manner that it may be rocked freely about its suitably located pivot in any direction by pressure applied at the corresponding point on its outer surface, and pins or` the like of various lengths are carried by one of the plates to act as stops for regulating the distance through which the pivoted lever plate may be rocked lagainst the resistance of an interchangeable spring or springs interposed between the said base and lever plates.

A spring band for'holding the aforesaid truss-pad in place at the end where it presses on the truss-pad is provided in the known way with a slot or equivalent with which the attachmentstuds or the like work, and

which lallows a movement of the band relatively to the pad without permitting disconnection of the pad and band. According to this invention an anti-friction means,such as a roller or ball-bearing, carried by the band orzthe truss-pad may be interposed at the pont of pressure between the band and the pa f According to this invention also, a spring band for attachment to the aforesaid truss pad isbent to an arch form at the part where it crosses the spine of the wearer so that direct pressure by the band at the spine is avoided and a cushion or the like may be carried within the arch so formed.

In the accompanying drawings and which represent one embodiment of a surgical truss and some of its accessories made in accordance with this my invention,

Figure 1 is a front view of the truss-pad,

Fig. 2 is a central vertical section of the pad shown in Fig. 1 'and Fig. 3 is a front view of a part of such a truss-pad and showing a modified detail thereof.`

Fig. 4l is a perspective View of a spring band for use with the truss-pad shown in Figs. l, 2 and 3.

Figs. 5 and 6. are a front view and a plan view respectively of a part of a modified form of the band shown in Fig. 4 and Figs. 7 and 8 are similar views of part of another modification of the band shown in Fig. 1.

In that embodiment of this invention, shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the pad of the truss comprises a cushion having an outer covering 1 of leather, cloth, rubber or other suitable material and a suitable stuiing 2, the edges of the cover 1 being shown as solutioned or glued to the cushion-plate 3, secured in turn to the base plate l; the plates 3 and 4 being united by means of Vscrews 5. The base-plate l carries a center screw 6 having a ball head 7 which forms a pvot upon which a leverplate 8 may be rocked freely` in any direction. The said lever-plate 8 is made with a cavity which is a seat for the ball head 7, held therein by a loop 9 through which the shank of the screw 6 passes and which is secured to the plate 8 by screws 10. Instead of employing a cushion plate 3 and base plate 4 the latter may carry the cushion. Ihe pad may be made of vulcanite and in such case the flat side of the pad would take the place of the cushion plate 3 and base plate 4, suitable holes or bosses being provided in the vulcanite for the reception of the springs,

Although in the drawings the ball and socket pivot is shown in the center of the plate, it may instead be placed in any other position as required for the pressure treatment of a particular hernia or rupture.

The base-plate 4, in addition tothe central pivot-screw 6 carries a series of pins 11, 11a, 11b, 11, 11d, 11e, screwed into it, each pin adapted to act as a guide for a helical spring 12. The pins of the series are of unequal lengths, those denoted by 11 and 11a for example, may be the shortest, the pins 11b and 11c being longer and 11e, 11d being the longest for determining the distance through which the lever-plate 8 may be moved against the resistance of a spring or of springs placed upon a given pin 'or pins of the series. A spring 12 of the required strength is mounted upon any one or more of the pins as required and may be transferred fromia pin or pins to another Vor others, in terchanged or added tothe serieswhen 'ity is ldesired to 'vary the resistanceV to pressure applied-at certain pointson the lever-plate. l The pins 11 to 11d may also be interchangedV in order to vary the point of greatest travel and yield of the lever-plate 8,

The points of pressure are determined by studs 13, 13a carried by the lever-plate 8 and used for attaching the pad to the inelastic or 'soft7 waistband 14 which may have the usual pair of leyes at one end for engagingl a pair of the studs 13 and an adjusting opposite end 15 with a single eye for enga-ging a stud 13a.

Instead of the studs 13 and 13a, ears such as shown in Fig. 3 may be affixed to the lever-plate 8 or may be made integral therewith. Then the end ofthe band 14, or of the strap 15, is attached to the said ears by means of the slot 8a in each, in the wellknown manner.

Both the baseplate 4 and the lever-plate 8 are shown las having flanges, but flanges on both plates are not indispensable; either may be flanged and the other or both made with-V out a flange if desired. VThe base-plate may be cast, or pressed out of a single sheet of metal, vulcanite or other suitable material and may have bosses Vfor the spring or springs 12 and made integral with the plate, or the said bosses may be made separate and secured to the base plate, for example by means of a screw cut on each and fitting into tapped holesY inthe baseplate. The bosses whether integral with the plate or made separately may be hollow and have one end closed and they may be sunk below the surfaceV of the base-plateV into the pad. Y

Such hollow bosses'may conta-inV they spring or springs within it or them; springs of different lengths and strength being dropped into the sunken hollow bosses which retain them in position. Or the springs may surround lthe bosses which then take the place of pins or screws.

It will be obvious that by transferring the end of the waist band 14 from the studs shown in engagement with it, to any other pair of the series of studs 13, whether the strap 15 be transferred to another of the series of studs 13a or not, that la great variation in the direction of the superficial pressure may be` obtained while by varying the points of spring resistance and the positions of the pins of the series of pins 11 to 11e, the yielding effect of the pad will also be varied.

The under-strap 16 is attached to a stud 17 carried at the lower part Vof the leverplate 8.

When this form lof truss-pad according to my invention is lfitted for vuse in conjunction with ya spring band such as shown in F ig. 4, studs 20, 21, are provided below the horizontal center line of the lever-plate 8 for attaching it so as to cause the pressure of the spring band toV act at or near the lower part of the base-plate, and in orderV that lthe pad may be maintained in its correct position relatively to the Vbody regardless of movements imparted to the said spring band, the end of the spring band is slotted at 23 "so that it may move freelylengthwise on the studs 20 and'21.

Instead of slotting the spring band the latter may be made plain and headed studs may be fixed to the outer plate at the sides ofthe plain end of the band which then slides freely beneath the heads of the studs and between their stems.

It'will be understood that the truss-pad insteadof being Voval and having its major axis vertical may be of any other suitable Voutline and may be set with the axis of its plate 8 at any required angle.

' The construction of the pad may be different from that illustrated; for example flat or semi-elliptical springs of various forms may be employed Y instead of the springs 12. Also the series Vof pins 11to 11e or the studs 13 and 13a is notl limited to the number or manner of mounting shown. There may be a greater or smaller number in each series and the springs may be soldered, brazed or otherwise secured to the base-plate 4. f

The spring band shown inFig. 4 is the form required by a single hernia; for a double rupture the band would have both ends slottedV as at 23, each for attachment to one of a pair of pads which may, as usual, be directly connected by a strap or the like.

In order that the movement of the spring band shown in Fig. 4Vmay not be impeded by frictional resistance at the end of it by co-ntact with the lever plate 8 the said spring band may be furnished with an anti-friction roller as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 or with a ball bearing as shown in Figs. 7 and 8. Or the pad may be secured to the end of the spring band by means of a screw which passes through the slot into the plate 8.

To prevent pressure by the spring band shown in Fig. t upon the spine of the wearer the said band is arched at 24 by bending it so that it spans the spine and a cushion 25 may be stitched or otherwise fixed within or at the sides of the arch to make Contact with the body there and prevent pressure at the bends of the arch.

At the back of the spring band instead of a cushion 25, a complete truss pad as shown in Figs. l and 2, may be fitted for each side of the spinal column, the cushions being of such thickness as to prevent the spring-band pressing either on the spinal column or into the flesh while permitting the free movement of the body in any direction. A pair of arches, each similar to that shown at 24;, Fig. et may be formed in the spring band for the reception of the above-mentioned cushions; and a divided or combined band, comprising one portion of steel to which the truss-pad is attached and formed with an arch or arches as hereinbefore described, and the other portion being a soft inelastic band may be employed.

Claims l. A surgical truss embodying therein a truss pad, having a non-flexible base, a nonfiexible lever plate, a band attached to said lever plate, a member constantly transmitting substantially uniform pressure from said lever plate to said base, said member having a rigid connection with one of said parts and a universal joint connection with the other permitting oscillatory movement of said base and said plate with relation to each other, cushions between said base and said plate arranged about said member, and means limiting the extent of said oscillatory movement.

2. A surgical truss embodying therein a truss pad having a non-flexible base, a noniiexible lever plate, a band attached to said lever plate, a member constantly transmitting substantially uniform pressure from said lever plate to said base, said member having a rigid connection with one of said parts and a universal joint connection with the other permitting oscillatory movement of said base andy said plate with relation to each other, resilient members disposed about said last named means resisting such oscillatory movement, and pins of different heights associated with said resilient members respectively, and limiting the extent of this movement.

3. A surgical truss embodying therein a truss pad having a non-flexible base, a nonflexible lever plate, a spring metal band having a slot adjacent one end thereof, studs on said lever plate projectingV through, and having a free sliding lit in, said slot, an anti-friction device carried by said band and bearing on said plate, a member constantly transmitting substantially uniform pressure from said lever plate to said base, said member having a rigid connection with one of said parts and a universal joint connection with the other permitting oscillatory movement of said base and said plate with relation to each other, cushions between said base and said plate about said member, and means limiting the extent of said oscillatory movement.

et. A. surgical truss embodying therein a truss pad having a non-flexible base, a noniiexible lever plate, a spring metal band attached to said lever plate and having an arched portion therein adapted to span the spine of the wearer, a member constantly transmitting substantially uniform pressure from said lever plate to said base, said member having a rigid connection with one 0f said parts and a universal joint connection with the other permitting oscillatory movement of said base and said plate with relation to each other, cushions between said base and said plate about said member, and means limiting the extent of said oscillatory movement.

5. A surgical truss embodying therein a truss pad having a non-flexible base, a nonflexible lever plate, a spring metal band attached to said lever plate and having an arched portion therein adapted to span the spine of the wearer, a cushion secured within said arched portion, a member constantly transmitting substantially uniform pressure from said lever plate to said base, said member having a rigid connection with one of said parts and a universal joint connection with the other permitting oscillatory movement of said base and said plate with relation to each other, cushions between said base and said plate about said member, and means limiting the extent of said oscillatory movement.

ALFRED MATTHEV SCARFF.

Witnesses:

E. MoN'rAenn, E. W. Brirrs. 

